“Their technical limitations are your technical limitations”

idrawgirls: What would you suggest to young artists on how to get start and become the better artist?

Laurel Austin: I think I’d probably say what any other artist would — to get better at art, draw more. But (since you’ve probably heard that plenty of times before) to be a good concept artist is to work within a team. You must understand what the art director needs from you, and how to translate that into a piece that is both usable for 3D artists and, for hero assets especially, will help inspire the whole team about what an awesome game you’re all making. The more you know about their jobs, the better you will be at doing your’s. This is experience it’s difficult to get outside of an actual industry job, but for aspiring concept artists I would recommend pairing up with an aspiring 3D character or environment artist to create some work. They’ll give you feedback you otherwise never might come across. Their technical limitations are your technical limitations, and knowing how to create an amazing concept within those constraints is a very valuable skill.